1 definition by Fernando Villanea
A dance to be preformed to ska, usually involving alternately puting each foot forward while lifting the knee, and then moving each foot back. The person keeps the elbows bent, and puts the hands into fists. While the use of arms and hands is possible, the focus remains on the movement and bending of the legs. This allows musicians to dance while using their arms for playing instruments. The previous is done better in large numbers in a circular fashion by preference in a "ska pit" or other dance halls. When done in a proper way the area in the middle of the circle is called "rest" where people can stand.
There are unspoken rules to skanking such as immediately helping up others who fall down and holding up lost articles of clothing (usually shoes and hats) to be claimed by their owners. Although skanking is an energetic dance and accidents occur frequently, deliberate aggression is looked down and considered amateurish by ska lovers examplified by the Mustard Plug song Skank by Numbers:
We don't want to see you slammin' in the pit, NO! We don't want to see
our girlfriends kicked, NO! We just want to see you movin' faster and
faster, to the beat of the super ska master. Phonys like to slam to
the beat of ska, we're not against that, but for us there's more. To
dance with us you needn't act like a jerk, skankin's meant for fun,
not for getting hurt!
There are unspoken rules to skanking such as immediately helping up others who fall down and holding up lost articles of clothing (usually shoes and hats) to be claimed by their owners. Although skanking is an energetic dance and accidents occur frequently, deliberate aggression is looked down and considered amateurish by ska lovers examplified by the Mustard Plug song Skank by Numbers:
We don't want to see you slammin' in the pit, NO! We don't want to see
our girlfriends kicked, NO! We just want to see you movin' faster and
faster, to the beat of the super ska master. Phonys like to slam to
the beat of ska, we're not against that, but for us there's more. To
dance with us you needn't act like a jerk, skankin's meant for fun,
not for getting hurt!
by Fernando Villanea March 23, 2007